O'BSERVATIONS - "ROSA"

'DOCTOR WHO'
"ROSA"

From the IMDb:

Montgomery, Alabama, 1955. The Doctor and her friends find themselves in the Deep South of America. As they encounter a seamstress by the name of Rosa Parks, they begin to wonder whether someone is attempting to change history.  

I don't have many O'Bservations in connection to this episode, perhaps because I am in awe of the actual history.  The episode gave a few examples of what life was like for the people of color back then.  Every day it seems there was the possibility for trouble; it was a powderkeg waiting to explode and it's inconceivable to me that it could have lasted into the present day.  (We have enough trouble now as it is!)  Something had to give and someone had to lead the way.  That person was Rosa Parks, perhaps the most unlikely hero to change History.

Perhaps the best thing about this episode is that the presence of the Doctor and "Team TARDIS" did not intrude or interfere with her life course.  That would have diluted the impact that she achieved.  Instead, their contribution was to erase the interferences caused by Krasko (perhaps another Sigma Iotia II resident with that name?)  So technically History played out as it should have.  

Vinette Robinson was wonderful in her subdued portrayal of Rosa Parks.  And it's a recastaway that can be accepted in Toobworld.  This was Rosa Parks as seen from the perspective of the Time travelers.  

"Rosa" forges a link between 'Doctor Who' and 'Touched By An Angel'.  In "Black Like Monica", the Lady herself, Ms. Rosa Parks, showed up by the end of the episode.  As for Angela Bassett's TV movie "The Rosa Parks Story", I've assigned that to the major Movie Of The Week TV dimension (MOTW-Toobworld) since there were no regular fictional characters from TV series to anchor it to the main Toobworld.  

As a villain, Krasko seemed weak, which was surprising since the actor who played him had experience as a murderous Time traveler - Jack the Ripper in the TV version of "Time After Time".  I'm thinking this wouldn't be the last time we see Krasko, even though Ryan zapped him as far back into tt he past as he possibly could with that weapon of Krasko's.  I'm sure some splainin can be found to bring him back into conflict with the Doctor; perhaps the TARDIS will bring the team back to him!  

We get to see more of what Jodie Whittaker's bringing to the role of the Doctor and I think her playful sense of teasing her new companions will be a major factor in her character.  The example this week was her messing with Graham's head about whether or not she was the reclusive street artist known as Banksy.  The timing was great since Banksy was recently in the news.....

I just don't see that as being the work of the Doctor.  But claiming that she could be Banksy?  Remember the first rule about the Doctor....

My favorite character quirk so far has been her tendency to go off on humorous tangents in the middle of serious speeches.  These have usually been in the form of historical anecdotes from her past, with no clue as to which Incarnation was involved.

Filming in South Africa was a smart move on this episode.  I think it would have been doubtful they could have recreated the look of Birmingham back in the United Kingdom.  And a fresh influx of actors keeps us in the world created.  (Probably a different experience for the South African viewers, I imagine.)  I'm no expert on dialects, but the Southern accent sounded good to me.

One again there wasn't a good moment for Mandip Gill to shine, although she was convincing in her conversation with Ms. Parks, as though she was prepping the woman to step up and accept her mantle of hero.  I'm sure she'll get her moment in the sun instead of in the shadows, but I still think of what might have been had Amara Karan - who played Rita in the episode "The God Complex" got to be a companion.  It was the kiss of death for Rita when the Eleventh Doctor became smitten with her and offered her a chance to join him.  But oh, what a companion she could have been.

You know what?  Ms. Karan could still have a chance.  Heck, I think she was charismatic enough to be a new incarnation of the Doctor at some point in the future!

Anyway, getting back to "Rosa" - they treated the history with dignity and I think it has to rank up there as the best of the historical episodes.
You'll see during the day I've added a lot of fanfic suggestions.  And those suggestions for that are greatly helped by the photoshopped artwork out there.  And this picture would make for great inspiration of another encounter - what if the Doctor did go back to see her again when she was now an older woman?  Why not try out a story of your own?

Coming up in an hour, "Arachnids In The UK"!